


The Best Things In Life Are Tea

by Becksus



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Adoption, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Did I Mention Tea?, Fluff and Drinking Tea, Gen, Healing from trauma, Hurt/Comfort, Iroh (Avatar) loves Tea, Iroh is a Good Uncle (Avatar), Is British - not sorry, Spirit Shenanigans, We All Love Tea, What-do-you-mean-I-can't-hunt-the-Avatar?, Zuko (Avatar) Has PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Zuko Needs a Pet, Zuko is a grumpy cat, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, friendships, implied depression
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 23:33:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29908752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Becksus/pseuds/Becksus
Summary: Prince Zuko - the grouchy teenager who has had poor parenting and just needs a new hobby and friends who will wrap him in a fluffy blanket like a sushi roll and take care of him. He is a grumpy cat and we love him.Uncle Iroh - the kick butt mentor figure who would rather play Pai Sho than fight, but when he does he will leave you crying into your jasmine tea. And, wait, did someone say tea?This takes place after Azula tries to convince Iroh and Zuko to go back to the capital. They are wandering the Earth Kingdom and get lost. Then begins our AU.-----------------------Soft Zuko, Warm ZukoGlaring angry teenHappy Zuko, Sleepy ZukoPurr. Purr. Purr.-----------------------
Relationships: Iroh & Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 19





	The Best Things In Life Are Tea

**Author's Note:**

> A shout out to NorthernRanger (*ahem shameless plug for her amazing Invictus Harry Potter fic) and DwellsOnDreams for their beta reading, writing advice and medical know-how. This writing experience wouldn't have been as fun without you guys, thank you!

They had been wandering though the woodland for a long time. The Earth Kingdom trees were deep-rooted with trunks as wide as three men. Iroh stepped around one and breathed in deep. The forest smelled of damp earth and the tang of sap. He ran his hand over the bark as he walked by, it was almost smooth and waxy to feel. Settling into a plodding and meandering pace, Iroh allowed his eyes to travel all the way up to the canopy, then down to the leaf-carpeted floor. It was so high he could feel a crick in his neck but there was gentleness to the forest. He could sense it as he breathed in. It felt good.

His nephew walked not five steps ahead of him, but sounds were so muted under the trees that he wouldn’t have known.

“We’re lost,” his nephew called.

“I know.” Iroh walked towards the sound of the gruff voice.

Zuko’s hands were tight fists. “I don’t understand, how could we have stepped off the path so easily?”

“Some things are easily lost,” he mused aloud, and plodded behind the boy as he stomped through the undergrowth.

“What does that even mean?” his nephew huffed.

“It means we will have to be more careful in future.”

“We weren’t being careless _this_ time,” his nephew fumed, stepping over an arching tree root. “And now we’re stuck in this endless forest with no idea where to go.”

“But look at what we’ve gained!” he crowed and gestured at the lushness of the green forest. “It’s so peaceful here, and the quiet is remarkable.”

Zuko turned to glare at him, but Iroh only smiled wide and sincerely. These sorts of things took time to sink into his nephew’s consciousness, so it was always worth pointing them out. Sometimes several times. Zuko closed his eyes briefly and then continued walking. Iroh hummed low, as if thinking, but made no further comment.

They were lost. Worse than lost - he was certain they were going around in circles.

“We’ve been here before!” Zuko growled moments later. They looked around, unsure where to go next. The sun was beginning to set behind the trees, making the dimness of the woodland almost completely dark.

“We need to stop for the night.” Iroh said, “It’s too late to go any further, and my weary bones could do with rest.” He dropped his pack to the ground, feeling a deep ache in his back as he settled himself against the bark of a tree. Zuko stood undecided for a moment and shifted from foot to foot. But as Iroh sighed feeling the small relief of the support to his back, his nephew began to unpack things from his bag. After a moment of simply enjoying the stillness, he joined his nephew even as his old bones protested at the extra movement. Before too long, their simple camp was set up and a low fire was lit and casting its warmth. Never content to just sit, Zuko got up and stepped away as if to leave. A twist of alarm hit his gut. “Wait!” Iroh called.

Zuko paused mid step.

“Where are you going?”

“To find us some food.” he replied flatly and began to walk.

“Zuko!” Iroh called swiftly. “How will you find the camp again? We’ve been lost all day. It’s not a good idea to wander off in the dark.”

His nephew stopped, but reluctantly. “I’m hungry.”

“So am I. But we can hunt in the morning and eat before continuing out journey. It’s no use being separated.” The very thought sent cold through his veins. After all this time, he was not about to lose the boy like this.

“You’re right.” Zuko squatted on the other side of the flames, glaring and shifting with excess energy. Iroh only wished he still had the strength of youth.

The next day was much of the same, and though Zuko went hunting and Iroh browsed the forest floor for food. They were cautious to remain in sight of each other and the morning passes without incident. Unfortunately, this also meant they had nothing to show for the hours wasted.

The walking wasn’t much better, they wandered in circles, coming back to their old camp time and time again. The bare patch of scorched earth mocked them with every return. It made no difference what direction they took.

Zuko yelled and punched the air, a jet of flame sprung from his fists and set a branch on fire.

“Zuko no!” Iroh put out the flames with a wave and a frown. “What are you doing?”

His nephew kicked at their fire pit and sent out more jets of flame.

“Are you angry?”

“Yes I’m angry! What do you think I’m throwing flames around for?”

Iroh frowned and swept his hands through the air, putting out the flames before they spread. “Zuko, you should be more careful.”

“This forest is tricking us!”

“So it seems.”

“How can you be so calm!”

Iroh tucked his hands into his wide sleeves and regarded the sunlight pouring between the leaves. “Turn your face to the sun and the shadows will fall behind you.” Iroh watched the blinking incomprehension on his nephew’s face and began to unpack his bag before the inevitable glowering began. “Anger will not help. It is better to put the troubles of the day behind us - that and I’m a weary old man who has grown too used to regular meals to keep walking.” He patted his stomach sadly.

“I’m hungry too.”

There was nothing left in their packs to eat. “I know what would cheer you up?”

Zuko raised his brows.

“Music night!”

His nephew groaned, “How can we have music night? We don’t even have any instruments?”

 _Was that a tinge of hope he heard in his nephew’s voice? Surely not? Who didn’t need music to lift their spirits?_ And a lack of instruments had never stopped Iroh from singing before. Thankfully, he didn’t require much in the way of audience participation to enjoy his favourite songs. It took some time, but after a few verses, Iroh thought he saw Zuko’s foot tapping in time. He smiled.

The next day they broke camp, fully expecting nothing to change. Their pace was slower now they were both tired and hungry. Conversation was more limited than normal, which gave him space to think about what he would do when they got out of this and into civilisation again. His stomach rumbled, and he tried to ignore it. _But, oh! What he would do for a good cup of tea?_

Perhaps it was because he was tired, or distracted in his wonderings, or perhaps it was another strike by the forest? Whatever the cause, halfway through his daydreams Iroh felt a sudden tug of a root on his foot. He swung his arms wide as a strangled cry erupted from his lungs. The branch he managed to snatch at snapped away in his hands, and Iroh fell. He collided with the leaf strewn earth once, bounced a little way into the air and began to roll down the hill, his momentum picking up even as he collided with bushes, roots and forest debris.

“Uncle!” Zuko’s voice sounded far away. Still he fell, spinning around at such a rate, he could barely keep up with the blur.

But a hill can only last so long. All too soon he was a heap at the bottom. Iroh groaned and struggled to get up. His arm buckled beneath him and pain shot through to his shoulder. It was broken, this he knew before Zuko had reached his side.

“Uncle! Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine.” He only groaned a little as his nephew helped him to sit. He held the arm close, instinctively.

“Your arm…”

He frowned down at it and pushed the gasping pain away. He needed to keep his head. “I’m okay. I can walk.”

“Are you hurt anywhere else?” The note of worry in the boy’s voice was tangible, he tried to smile. But it materialised as more of a grimace.

“I think so?” Slowly he stood and took a few steps. Other than some bumps and bruises, he was lucky to be without any other injury.

“I can’t wait to get out of this stupid forest,” Zuko growled.

“Then we had best keep walking.” The thought sapped him of strength, but he stood as Zuko helped him to his feet. He held his aching arm close and focused on putting one foot in front of the other.

Iroh was aware of his nephew’s gaze on him for the rest of the afternoon. He was a good boy. Thankfully, the rest of the day passed without further incident and it began to seem as if they were in a new part of the forest. _Could it be?_ He dared to wonder as they crested a hill. There was a small hamlet tucked into the bottom of a valley and a river running though the centre. Smoke spindled from the chimneys and Iroh could hear the sound of children playing. It was quaint.

Iroh glanced over at Zuko. They had paused and were looking down, allowing their eyes to take in the view and also a moment to regain their breath. He leaned heavily on a nearby tree and stifled a groan.

“Uncle?”

“I’m fine, Zuko.”

“You’re not fine.”

“I just need to rest a moment,” he puffed.

Zuko’s glanced between his uncle and the village. “I guess we could stop for the day - the village might be willing to trade for some supplies.”

“Maybe they’ll have tea?” the hopeful note in his voice was not to be crushed by the gentle glare thrown in his direction.

The two began to walk and before the hour was out, they stood on a rough stone road, heading towards the houses. _Civilisation at last_!

—

People were staring. That wasn’t uncommon. He wasn’t stupid enough to realise that his - face - made him stand out. People knew not to say anything to a prince about such things, or if they didn’t, they soon learnt. Here, on the road, there was no such courtesy. He was just another victim of the war. A peasant refugee. Zuko felt his shoulders hunch at the thought. The scar was a constant reminder of his lost honour. It wasn’t just that it marked him for everyone to see - it pulled at his skin. Every expression, each time he blinked, the movement reminded him of all he had lost.

It was beginning to get easier. Those early days had been painful, but he had survived. He had never given up; he was stronger than that. And he was not about to be baulked by some provincial village in the middle of nowhere - even if people did stare. And stare. And stare. And, _spirits, did nothing happen here? Why was everyone watching them like that?_

“Uncle?”

“Hmmm?” His uncle was grinning and heading through the small market square where there were only three small stands resting on the white stone. Iroh walked straight for a small grocery stand in the market square, completely oblivious to the entire village watching them pass.

“Excuse me, I’m wondering, would you happen to have any jasmine tea for sale? This is the first town we’ve come across during our journey and my reserves are getting very low.”

“Uncle!” Zuko muttered, “You can’t spend all our money on tea.”

“No. Not all of it - but some!”

“We need to buy food first.”

“Ah,” his uncle tapped him on the shoulder. “These things will come in time, nephew. We need to have our priorities in the right place.”

“Uncle…” but he was already haggling to a somewhat reasonable figure. Zuko narrowed his eyes but said nothing. There were moments when his Uncle just would not be swayed. Perhaps they would fit in to an Earth Kingdom existence better than he had originally thought, so long as there was tea.

A part of him wanted to explore the village - it was quaint. The pale almost white stone of the buildings was matched with painted green wood, marking the architecture of the buildings firmly in the Earth Kingdom style. There was something about the sprawling layout of the streets, set against the background of the deeper forest green of the woodland which made it feel spacious. Not one of these buildings was the same, and the village was almost haphazard. He could almost have wandered around and observed the little quirks of each building. From where he was standing, he could see one with a box of pink flowers outside the door and another with yellow shutters decorated with a white motif. The next house had two storeys but the building beside it was only one. That house had an open veranda with a goat-dog tied up outside and an empty bowl set beside it. The animal was sprawled in the shade, its tail thumping in the dust as a young boy pet his belly. The dust flew up into the air, causing the boy to choke.

That was when the kid looked up and met his gaze. Zuko turned away quickly - he hadn’t been staring at the only person not to spot him. Really, no, it was just a coincidence. A horribly awkward coincidence, and the last thing he wanted was for the boy to -

“Hello!”

He looked down into wide eyes and a large grin with dimples.

“Hi.” he responded, flatly.

“I don’t know you.”

“Mmm, hmmm.” Zuko looked over his shoulder, he had only walked a few steps. But his Uncle was absorbed in the trading and a bag was being passed over the counter, he wasn’t sure what on earth could be in it, it looked heavy, and really he should have seen this coming - when was it ever a good idea to leave his uncle alone shopping? Uncle was trying to take the bag with one arm. Zuko turned to go help and heard a scurry of steps. Then the kid zipped in front of him and he had to stop short or walk right into him.

“My name’s Sanu.”

Zuko stared down at the kid and shuffled. “Hi Sanu, I’m Lee.” He moved as if to step around the kid, but Sanu only set himself in step beside him.

“Where are you from?”

Zuko stood wide eyed, his mind blank for a moment too long. Why couldn’t he think of anything?

“Who’s this?” Uncle asked gleefully, bending down to make himself the same height as the kid.

Zuko managed not to groan aloud, he was told it was impolite. So was rolling his eyes but he couldn’t do everything. _Now they would be talking with the kid forever._

“I’m Sanu!” the kid said cheerily.

“Why hello, I’m Mushi. How old are you?”

“I’m seven.” the kid beamed, making his dimples more pronounced than ever. “Where are you from?”

Uncle’s smile turned awkward, but he straightened up and said warmly “We’re travellers!”

“Wow!” The kid acted like he’d never seen a traveller before, then his eyes caught on the way Iroh held his arm strangely. “What’s wrong?”

“I fell over in the forest and hurt myself.”

 _That was putting it mildly_ , Zuko had seen the strange way his arm had hung and there was now a pale pallor to his uncle’s skin.

“I fall over sometimes too. My mum puts a bandage on me.”

“Does she? Sounds like she takes good care of you!”

The two grinned at each other and Zuko glanced between them, wondering how they had made such fast friends already.

“Sanu!” A man approached, he smiled at them and two dimples wrinkled at his cheeks. “Hello,” he greeted them. “I hope Sanu’s not asking too many questions? My son can be overly inquisitive sometimes.”

“I’m inquisitive!” Sanu said proudly and his father ruffled his hair.

“It’s been a pleasure,” Uncle smiled.

“Mushi fell over in the forest and hurt his arm, Dad! He needs a bandage.”

“Those woods can be dangerous, you wouldn’t be the first to fall foul to them.” The man glanced at Iroh, “My wife does some healing for the village, she’d be happy to take a look at it - if you’re in pain.”

“That is kind. I believe it will need further attention, I’m not so young as I once was.”

Zuko took the bag of shopping from his Uncle and followed the man and his son towards one of the houses.

The house was open and light. The smooth white stone walls gave a bright feel to the space. The furniture was made from the same type of wood, great slabs of it.

“Ayi?” the man called. “We have a patient for you.”

A woman with long dark hair and a willowy physique came from behind a screen door. There was a little workroom he could see before she closed the door behind her.

“Hello?” she asked at the sight of them, a smile on her face.

“Visitors, arrived today.” the dad explained.

“Oh, welcome!”

Zuko was invited to wait at the large kitchen table while Uncle was guided into the work room. He sat and looked at the tabletop for a moment, feeling awkward at the long silence. The whole thing was made from one great slab of wood. He supposed it made sense, considering the size of the trees they’d seen. Then his stomach growled loud enough to be heard around the room, and he began to dig through the bag of shopping.

To his surprise, Uncle had managed to get a very reasonable price for the array of purchases. Zuko munched a piece of fruit and thought he had never tasted anything so delicious. Food was good.

Chonu noted his hurried eating, “Are you hungry?”

Zuko felt his cheeks warm. “We’ve been lost in the forest for a few days.”

The man nodded and disappeared to return moments later with a tray of food. He left it on the table and poked his head into the work room. Moments later Uncle emerged and dropped into a seat the other side of the table. He still held his arm strangely but was able to grab a portion of the rice and vegetables that Chonu had laid out. Ayi sat beside him and continued to inspect the arm. As he watched, Zuko grit his teeth and wished he had spent more time learning what to do when someone was sick. Then he could be useful, rather than sitting and observing while the healer raised her eyebrows and concluded it was broken. It was going to take its time to heal.

 _There’s no time for this, staying in one place for too long is dangerous. And staying here is…_ boring. _But_ , he thought, his eyes scanning the different houses of the town through the window, _this might just be the sort of backwater place to lay low until his uncle could recover._

“You’re going to need somewhere to stay for a while,” the healer said firmly. “I wouldn’t trust any of my patients in such a condition to these forests. You’re welcome to rest here until we can sort something more comfortable for you.”

His uncle sketched a respectful bow. “We are most grateful for your hospitality.”

“Not at all,” the woman smiled. “I need to know my patients are going to recover well.”

She bound the top of his arm with two narrow lengths of wood and wound strips of fabric around and around. “This will restrict your movement, but you need to keep this still and straight while it has time to heal.” Her voice was firm, “That means no exercising it for a while and plenty for rest.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” Iroh agreed.

Smiling at her agreeable patient, Ayi drew out a length of fabric and rested the arm in a tidy sling.

“Done. Now, let me show you where you can stay.” She guided them through the house to a room with two wooden cots and simple decor. The bed coverings were green, embroidered with pale yellow. It wasn’t anything special, but it was better than a campfire in the woods.

“Thank you,” Zuko dipped his own bow and began to set things from his pack in place. It didn’t take long, and then he stood and stared around the room. _What should he do now?_

“Perhaps we could explore the town a little?” Iroh was perched on one of the cots, an excited smile stretching from ear to ear.

“You should be resting.”

“I need to feel the sun on my face.”

Zuko glared, but he wasn’t sure his uncle even noticed. He followed the old man outside.

—

The village was explorable within an hour. People were staring less already, which made Zuko relax. He hadn’t realised how much tension had built up around his shoulders. The sun warmed him, and he drank in its energy. Then he allowed his eyes to wander the homes and the boring lives of the people who lived here. There didn’t seem to be all that much activity going on, except for chores and the odd person at work. This place was a collection of thirty scattered buildings, with one focus point: the fountain. Their path led them within sight of it every one hundred paces or so. It was huge for the village and seemed strange against the rural background. Iroh and Zuko stood beside it and scanned the small plaza. A group of old people were beginning to gather. They were setting out tables and seemed to be carrying -

“PAI SHO!” Uncle stood and walked over with the most energy Zuko had seen all day. He did not follow but perched on the edge of the fountain and watched him be invited to take a seat. It wasn’t long before he was squinting down at the board with both a thoughtful and contented expression on his face. Zuko smiled.

It was in this moment that he was knocked into the fountain and trampled by a giant creature. Zuko tried to roll, but the fountain was too restrictive and there were giant paws on his face, pushing him down, kicking into his ribs. He grit his teeth and pushed with all his might shoving the creature out the way and swinging around to kick, punch, attack. He broke away from the water and froze.

It was the goat-dog belonging to Sanu’s family. It was a mass of long poofy white fur, with two stumpy horns poking from behind the ears and a body the size of a small ostrich-horse, which promptly licked him. He glowered and wiped his already dripping face. “What are you doing?” It barked and he twitched, unsure what to make of that.

“You’ll have to excuse him, he’s a big ole softy but there’s so much of him. He’s still a puppy but he can be quite… overwhelming.” Sanu’s father looked down and grinned, his eyes scrunching up into happy lines. Zuko stared at him, _this thing was still a puppy?_ _At that rate it was going to end up the size of a small bear_.

“It’s fine -” he stopped himself from steaming the water from his clothes just in time. Instead, he sat dripping on the edge of the fountain, trying not to look soggy and miserable even as the great fluffy animal continued to lick his face. The man reached over and dragged the goat-dog away and looped a lead onto a collar hidden by fur. Then Sanu’s father held out a hand. Zuko grit his teeth and took it.

“Come with me, we’ll see if we can get you dried off.”

Zuko looked over at his uncle, but the old man was so busy staring pensively at the board, he didn’t think his absence would be noted for quite some time. He flicked water from his sodden sleeves and followed the man back to the house.

“Lee!” Zuko was barrelled into before he could even walk through the door, the kid nearly knocked him clean off his feet. Then he was being _hugged_. He tapped Sanu on the head a few times as he’d seen some people do with kids this age.

“Hi Sanu.”

“Do you wanna see my tree house?” Sanu was already attempting to drag him away.

“Ummm?”

Thankfully Sanu’s dad rescued him, “Now Sanu, look at your friend! He was barrelled into by a certain goat-dog?”

“Noodle!” Sanu yelled excitedly.

“Noodle?”

“That’s our goat-dog.” His mother joined the little group with a smile and then a small gasp. “Oh, you’re soaked through! Let’s see if we can get you dry.”

With one last thought about the enormous snowy white fluffball which had attacked him – _Noodle...?_ Zuko followed them into the house, dripping at an alarming rate. Chonu dug through a wooden chest for a suitable towel while Sanu regaled him with the adventures of Noodle. Noodle the goat-dog.

“When he was a puppy he was only this big,” Sanu held out his hands to show something small enough to fit in the child’s arms. “He wasn’t so fluffy then and now when I hug him, my arms sink right into the fur so I can’t even see them! And when we give him a bath - which he hates - poor Noodle! But when we do, all the fur gets wet and sticks to him and you realise he’s really not so big after all and he takes so long to dry. But he still loves the fountain, especially on hot days because Dad says it helps him to cool off -”

“Sanu!” his father laughed as he handed Zuko a towel. “Take a breath.” Sanu paused enough to inhale a few breaths as Zuko began patting himself dry. He wished he could use his firebending to dry off, it would have taken seconds.

“Do you want to get changed?” the mother asked.

“Ah, no.” He didn’t mention that he had no extra clothes. And it wouldn’t matter, if he went out in the square again, he would dry off a little more.

“I should - I should be checking on my uncle.” He stood, feeling distinctly uncomfortable, and not sure why.

“But I thought your uncle was playing in the Pai Sho tournament?”

“He’s what?”

Sanu’s parents exchanged a look. “He’s playing in the tournament - in the square. It goes on all afternoon.”

 _Great. Just great._ “Right,” Zuko said, his shoulders drooping. He walked outside slowly.

It was good to be in the sun again. It was good to be outside. Away from the easy smiles of strangers. Zuko wasn’t sure why, but it set him on edge. People just weren’t really that nice…

Noodle followed him, trotting along behind Zuko with his tail wagging. Thankfully he was safely tied up to a post on the veranda again, and Zuko could skirt around he creature and towards the Pai Sho tables. “Uncle. How long is this going to take?”

“This? Oh,” he glanced up at the sun. “Just a few more hours.” That was going to take them well into the afternoon.

He sighed. _What was he going to do?_

“You’re not leaving today?” the other player asked, his voice creaking. He looked almost a hundred years old.

“We’ve been invited to stay with Chonu and Ayi.”

The other player looked up at Iroh, “Chonu is my son!” he grinned a semi-toothless smile.

“Ahh, you’re Sanu’s grandfather?” Iroh grinned, “He’s a very happy child - he spoke to us this morning. And if Chonu is anything like his father, I’m sure it will be a very pleasant stay.”

 _Right. That was settled_. Zuko stood for a long moment, overshadowing the board and not entirely sure what to do next. Iroh glanced up at him after a moment.

“I’m going for a walk.” Zuko declared and promptly walked away from the table and back through the town. He could scout some of the paths ahead, all the better to know where they were going for tomorrow’s journey.

As soon as he approached the trees a sense of foreboding filled him. There was something about them, almost as if they were watching. It made his skin crawl. He walked for a mile or so until he came across a wide clearing. He paused and took a deep breath. The morning had left him tense. He could feel it in the way his muscles pulled against the scar. The dull ache on his shoulders, even though he was free of the pack. Zuko took a deep breath. Then another. And another. Then he held out a palm and fire leapt to life. He set his feet, felt the familiar stretch of his firebending forms and began to move. It was calming and methodical. No fuss, no interruptions, just the steady exercises he had done every day since childhood, and a few new ones his uncle had given him during lessons. He set his foot badly and the fire shifted out of its form. He corrected, growled at himself, then stood still. Closing his eyes, Zuko breathed deep, through his nose out through his mouth and began the formations again.

He thought about his father, he thought about his sister, he thought about his honour and he thought about their mad scramble through the woods, being turned around for days with no sight of a path or anything but trees. With each breath and release of flame he felt the thoughts begin to still. He continued like this until sweat beaded on his brow and he was calmer than he had been in days. With one last kick he stopped and regained his breath. Standing on the path, he looked into the woods and considered going further. Then he looked back the way he had come. _How was he going to find his destiny - his honour - in this stupid village?_ He needed to move on. And soon. With a sigh he began the journey back.

It was a remarkably easy walk back to the village. He didn’t lose the path once. Perhaps the last few days had only been more of his poor luck. But whatever he told himself, it did not settle the itching feeling that he was being watched.


End file.
